Seniors Lead Bears To First Undefeated Ivy Home Season Since 1983-84

Feb 25, 2006

Playing in the final home game of their careers, Brown's four seniors lead the women's basketball team to a 65-52 win over Cornell on Saturday night. The victory gives the Bears their first undefeated (7-0) Ivy home season since 1983-84 and the first since playing in the Pizzitola Center, which opened in 1989. The four combined to score 36 points, headlined by Sarah Hayes 19 points and eight rebounds. Brown, 17-8 overall and 11-1 in Ivy play, remains one and a half games a head of second place Dartmouth and Princeton heading into the final week of Ivy play.

Cornell went just 5 of 22 in the first half as the Bears built up a 17 point lead by halftime. Hayes shot 6 of 8 for 13 points along with five rebounds. Senior Colleen Kelly scored all nine of her points in the half, including 2 of 3 from three-point land. Brown used a devastating 23-2 run to take an 18-point lead, 29-11, by the 5:05 mark. The Bears smothered the Big Red on defense, not allowing a field goal for over ten minutes of play.

In the second half, Brown went up by as many as 26 with all 15 eligible players seeing time on the court. Junior Lena McAfee fell just two points shy of the first double-double of her career with eight points and a career-high ten rebounds.

Senior Jaclyn Vocell, who earned the start, registered eight points and three assists. Senior Julia Barton also made the starting line-up, getting into the box score with a rebound, assist and a steal. Junior Ashley King-Bischof chipped in with nine points off the bench.

In control of its own destiny, Brown will play at Princeton on Friday before traveling on to Penn on Saturday. A sweep would give Brown sole possession of the 2006 Ivy League crown, a feat the Bears have not made since the 1992-93 season.